Tag: urban risk

Understanding how floods affect at-risk communities ‘off the map’ in Cartagena, Colombia

Posted on

Understanding the impacts of flooding in cities is a complex and multifaceted issue, influenced by competing environmental, social, economic, and political factors. Lack of comprehensive data and information on flood events exacerbates the issue, hindering the ability of cities and their residents to effectively prepare for and respond to disasters. No one understands the importance of information in emergency preparedness better than MapAction. This is a principle which underpins my research, leading to an academic partnership between MapAction and I.

By: Ambreen Masud. PhD student in geospatial systems at Newcastle University

I’m a PhD student in geospatial systems at Newcastle University researching flood risk in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia. My research seeks to integrate spatial and community-driven data to evidence flood risk in urban contexts. A key component of the research is collaborating with local communities, as they are the bearers of the consequences of flooding. The goal of this partnership is to have more agency in shaping the research: for them to share their lived experiences. 

Cartagena – official population just under one million – is located on the low-lying plains of the Caribbean coast and experiences a tropical climate with intense rainfall; factors which make it susceptible to flooding due to rising sea level and heavy precipitation. Flooding is worsened in Cartagena by issues such as increased rainfall intensity and duration, due to climate change, deforestation of mangroves, rapid (and sometimes) unplanned urbanisation. All this is compounded by inadequate drainage systems. As a city that experiences recurring flooding, this is a big problem as it causes daily disruption, damage to homes and infrastructure, loss of lives and livelihoods, economic losses, and stress amongst other health concerns. Just last year alone, 15,000 families were impacted by one extreme flood event.  

Putting at-risk people on the map

During the 2023 rainy season, I spent 10 weeks in Cartagena with a placement at local university Universidad Tecnológica de Bolivar (UTB). During this time, participatory mapping sessions were carried out with three neighbourhoods to better understand the local impacts of flooding. These sessions displayed areas of the neighbourhoods that were at risk of flooding, which are not currently recognised in official flood risk maps. Due to this omission, these communities are not supported by flood risk interventions and mitigation strategies. Putting at-risk people and places on the map is crucial to disaster preparedness because without identifying the problems, effective responses to flood events are impossible. 

Sessions displayed areas of the neighbourhoods that were at risk of flooding, which are not currently recognised in official flood risk maps. Due to this omission, these communities are not supported by flood risk interventions and mitigation strategies. Putting at-risk people and places on the map is crucial to disaster preparedness because without identifying the problems, effective responses to flood events are impossible. 

VIEW ALSO: Video: Urban risk model piloted with partners in Ecuador

A workshop in Cartagena. Photo: Ambreen Masud.

The participatory mapping sessions also highlighted key flood impacts such as vehicle accidents, accidents due to open manhole covers or potholes, damage to infrastructure and property, loss of life, material goods and income. All community groups argued that the impacts are exacerbated due to excessive waste and the lack of maintenance of the canals. I also spoke with researchers and different departments within the local mayor’s office that echoed these sentiments. These discussions provided insights into the city’s complexities from various stakeholders’ perspectives and led me to discover previously overlooked data.

READ ALSO: Strengthening data quality for shared humanitarian data sets can reduce human suffering

Next steps

I will be going back to Cartagena again to build on the research from 2023, incorporating the concerns raised by communities during the mapping sessions. Citizens will be able to collect information about location, flood level, damaged infrastructure and waste via an app. Collected data will be integrated with other spatial data to build better evidence around flooding in the city. A paper survey will be available for anyone unable to use technology, but training will be provided to everyone. The overall findings of this research will demonstrate community exposure to flooding, and this will be shared back with research stakeholders, including the mayor’s office, to support measures in flood preparedness and planning. 

This research is funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) under the CDT in Geospatial Systems at Newcastle University. Additional fieldwork funding has been awarded and is supported by the RGS-IBG Postgraduate Research Awards, Royal Geographical Society (with IBG). The principal researcher is Ambreen Masud. Research supervisors are Maria Valasia Peppa, Jon Mills, Cat Button, Yady Tatiana Solano-Correa, with industry supervision from MapAction. 

VIEW ALSO: What is MapAction? (animation)

MapAction received support for this partnership from the USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA) as part of a broader project on urban risk management. 

Video: Urban risk model piloted with partners in Ecuador

Posted on

In May 2024, MapAction, together with USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, the Ecuadorian Secretariat for Risk Management (SNGR) and the Decentralised Autonomous Government (GAD) of Manta, held a workshop in Manta – a coastal city in western Ecuador – to pilot an urban risk model based on the INFORM RISK INDEX methodology. The model provides disaster response managers and anticipatory action planners with a tool to understand the risk before, during and after disasters for specific urban communities. The workshop participants were civil society organisations working in the disaster risk reduction sector in Manta.

MapAction’s internal and external capacity building programmes are funded by USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA).

Strengthening urban resilience with GNDR

Posted on

MapAction’s strategy to 2023 aims to use geospatial technology and insight to bridge the gap between humanitarian need and available resources. We are doing this by, among other things, helping local, regional and global civil society networks to conduct their own geospatial analysis, and bolstering the resilience of urban communities to different types of crises.

aerial view of city landscape with many high-rise buildings

As part of our programme of work funded by USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA), we are currently working with the Global Network of Civil Society Organisations for Disaster Reduction (GNDR) towards these two strategic objectives. GNDR is also midway through a BHA-funded programme entitled ‘Making Displacement Safer’ and we have aligned our targets in order to collaborate around our shared goals.

In the first phase of our collaboration with GNDR, MapAction intern Kelly Rutkowski targeted practical application of her research project within her Master of Science in Disasters, Adaptation, and Development to create a system framework for examining urban preparedness. She also mapped two case studies for GNDR in Khulna, Bangladesh and Garut, Indonesia.

We are now in the second phase of our collaboration, in which we are providing advice and support to GNDR’s civil society partners in Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Nepal and Niger for geographical analysis and mapping. The learning gained both supports GNDR’s programmes in urban areas and increases MapAction’s knowledge of how we further our own urban and civil society programmes.

MapAction contributes to webinar on emerging urban challenges

Posted on
Aerial view across the suburbs of a city to the sky scrapers of the central business district on the horizon.

Two MapAction members contributed to a one-hour discussion of how use of collaborative networks and advances in geospatial technology can improve humanitarian outcomes in urban settings. Professor Melinda Laituri of Colorado State University and the Secondary Cities initiative was Chair of the event, with talks from Alan Mills and Chris Ewing, both of MapAction.  

Entitled Cities, humanitarianism and using geospatial analysis to mitigate risk, the online event looked at collaborative approaches to addressing global humanitarian issues.

Alan Mills and Chris Ewing shared insights gleaned from their work aimed at supporting urban resilience and emergency preparedness and response, in particular through working with, building, supporting and mobilising civil society networks. They also discussed recent technical innovations such as automated mapping.

This was followed by a question and answer session exploring some aspects further as questioned by the audience.

Chaired and Hosted by:

Speakers

  • Chris Ewing, MapAction Trustee and Volunteer – a keen physical geographer, Chris has over 10 years’ experience in the (re)insurance and engineering sectors. In his day job at Aon Impact Forecasting, Chris helps organizations better quantify natural catastrophe risk. He has volunteered with MapAction since 2007.
  • Alan Mills, MapAction Consultant and Volunteer – a volunteer since 2005 and former trustee, Alan also leads on building data preparedness partnerships. He has his own consultancy business specializing in GIS and remote sensing in international development and has 30 years experience in operations.

The full one hour Webinar can be viewed below.